The Photography of Nakaji Yasui, 2021

Nakaji Yasui (1903-1942) was one of the most prominent photographers in the first half of the 20th century in Japan, who started the “New Photography movement” with his colleagues from the Kansai district. He left an indelible impression on the pre-war golden age of modernist photography with his cutting-edge approach, working in many different styles from pictorialism to photomontage. These photographs were originally published in 1942, the year that Yasui died. Considering this is the last book Yasui released at a time when many materials were in short supply because of Japan’s war effort, original copies are exceptionally hard to come by. This collotype portfolio collects six of the photographers most famous works from that original portfolio, bringing them back to life for modern viewers. Although Yasui’s career was short, his work has influenced Daido Moriyama and many other important contemporary Japanese photographers. In 2010, His major photography publications include the essay Landscape Photography in Practice (1938) and the photography book Nakaji Yasui photographer 1903-1942 (2004).

The Collotype, invented in France approximately 150 years ago, stands as a pillar of quality and versatility in the history of photographic prints. Artists can achieve an enormous range of aesthetic possibilities with the help of highly-skilled master printers. Carefully hand printed in black and white by the craftsmen of Benrido Atelier in Kyoto Japan.